If you had any doubts that the world of iPhone accessories could grow any stranger or more diverse, then throw them out now. The Shaka Wind Meter proves that there are still plenty of depths yet to plumb.

The Shaka is a simple little gadget: a fan that plugs into the headphone socket of your iPhone and tells you the wind speed. It’s made for surfers, but has many more uses than that.

Windsurfers find it handy to know the wind speed, and amateur meteorologists will like the fact that they can keep records of the wind speed and direction as well as the temperature.

But I have another idea, and it has to do with bikes.

I currently use my iPad to track any “training” rides I do, and the app I use – Cyclemeter – does a pretty good job of working out how many calories I have burned based on my weight, speed and the distance I have climbed. But what it doesn’t do is account for headwinds.

I could appear to have done a run at half the normal speed, when actually I have made even more of an effort than usual. What if apps like Cyclemeter could take the wind info, compare it with your speed and then use that to work out your real energy expenditure?

Anyhow, the Shaka will be available soon, and you can sign up to receive details at the site.